At The Almond Conference 2023, UC Riverside plant pathologist Jim Adaskaveg shared recommendations for developing disease management strategies in the face of economic constraints. Adaskaveg highlighted the importance of orchard-specific disease history, urging growers to leverage insights from the previous year’s challenges to inform current planning. By understanding prevalent diseases and their timing, growers can optimize treatment effectiveness and select the most optimal materials.
“Over the last few years, we’ve had many of the top materials, conventional fungicides, that have gone off patent and companies have copied them and other companies have made generic materials. So, these are usually much less in cost,” Adaskaveg explained. “If hard times are on us because the prices of almonds are down, we can select these types of materials to integrate into our management program.”
While premium products may be reserved for more challenging pathogens, generic alternatives offer viable options for routine disease prevention. Discussing the financial aspects of disease management, Adaskaveg provided insights into the approximate costs associated with spray applications. Ranging from $93 to $130 per acre for material costs alone, he underscored the importance of multiple spray treatments to ensure comprehensive disease protection.
“That’s with a four to six spray program. If the conditions aren’t really conducive for disease, you can reduce that to two to three sprays, which would even lower it down to $60 or $70 per acre,” Adaskaveg noted. “A lot has to do with the environment that we have in the spring.”
Unfortunately, it appears that environmental conditions are creating an ideal situation for disease proliferation. Adaskaveg noted that one of the biggest challenges to disease management is not seeing symptoms until after the fact. This makes understanding orchard history integral to maximizing preventative approaches. Proactive monitoring with on-ground observations and using tools such as regional disease forecasts play a pivotal role in protecting orchards from disease.
All of the presentations from The Almond Conference are available online.
Listen to the segment below.
Brian German
Ag News Director / AgNet West